





Dear family and friends,
As most of you already know we are back in the United States now. After arriving in the U.S. on November 13, we spent our first week back in Los Angeles debriefing with our missions agency Foursquare Missions International. During our second week back in the U.S., we attended the Autumn Leadership Conference at the Church on the Way in Van Nuys, CA. We finally arrived in the Pacific Northwest on November 13.
Before leaving the island region of Papua New Guinea, we had an emotional journey saying goodbye to the people we love. During that time of transition, we also completely handed over the three and a half year old medical and evangelism ministry to the local Foursquare PNG leadership. We recently heard that our main nurse Jennifer Matkale (see picture) and the rest of the ministry team are stepping out to do their first medical and evangelism outreach to a poor plantation area filled with displaced people on the 29th and 30th of this month. Please pray for unity, discernment, protection, and divine appointments. They need prayer coverage.
Last month, we hosted a visiting team from Northwest Church and had planned to do a medical outreach. After arriving at the medical outreach venue, we learned that there was an active tribal conflict and then a heavy monsoon arrived so we had to cancel the outreach altogether. After praying with the team, we felt directed to spend the time instead inviting specific leaders over to our house to hear their hearts and pray over them. While the team was here, we did participate with them in a children’s program at a very remote small Foursquare church. The team also participated in a youth outreach and even performed worship songs. The team also had an opportunity to speak to the Foursquare women at the Kokopo Town Church.
There were several divine appointments with people during the time that the Northwest Church team was with us in PNG and so, here are some of their stories. Two of the ladies we met with were widows. Their husbands had been Foursquare pastors and now they were struggling to feed and educate their children. When husbands die in PNG, as in other third world countries, their families often don’t have any resources because they already live below the poverty level. Northwest Church provided the funding for each of the widows to receive a sewing machine and supplies. It was so wonderful to be a part of helping entire families. Now the ladies can make clothes for themselves and their children and they can sell extra garments at the local outdoor markets – to pay for food, kerosene and school fees. They all were so very grateful and cried and thanked “Papa God” for providing for them (see picture).
The team also had the opportunity to meet with Doreen Nebif who is a young single PNG lady who has a heart for missions (see picture). She is preparing to go to Syria for 2-3 years to work with Operation Mobilisation. She is full of the Holy Spirit and regularly helps us on the medical outreaches as a pharmacy assistant. When I’ve worked with her in the pharmacy section, she would often gently motion to me that she sensed the Holy Spirit directing her to pray or talk with different people that passed through our line. So, we stopped and pulled that person aside and took time to pray over them and several of them gave their hearts to Jesus or poured out personal pain so we could join them in prayer. These were wonderful God filled appointments! Doreen has endured many trials and she has demonstrated humility in submitting to Pastors in a culture that often overlooks women. We ask you to join us in praying for her as she steps out to serve in the Middle East.
Pastor Willy is a young pastor we have mentioned before. He went to business school and then heard the Gospel message and gave his heart to Jesus. There was a great and urgent need to fill a position in a very remote area and he chose the pastorate over business school. He is the same young man who asked God what he could do to help his community and God directed him to start digging pit toilets. Digging pit toilets in a very hot climate is a daunting task and so people would come by and ask him why he was doing it. He was able to share that God loves them and wants the best for them. This attitude has given him great favor with everyone in his area including non-Christians. Now his heart is to go to Bible school and learn more. He wants to articulate the Gospel more clearly and possibly do even more children’s evangelism.
Our youth outreach consisted of inviting all the teenagers from Kokopo Foursquare district to come for an afternoon of competitive volleyball and then an evening service. The youth in PNG love to play volley ball. After playing, all the teams sit down together and share large vats of ice cream that we bring in from town. They used bits of bamboo and sticks to scoop it up with. Then everyone washes up as it is very hot and tropical and come together for a service at night. We, the Northwest Church team and us, sang two songs – one in Tok Pisin and the other in English – at the evening service and then other churches and groups of people did various dances and songs (see picture).
The next day we went to Wat Wat, a small and more remote village, to support Pastor Lydia and Pastor Willy as they did a children’s outreach. We took a teenager from the Kokopo Town Church named Natasha to help us. The children in Wat Wat were quick to respond to the truth about Jesus who loves them. You can tell they were hungry for God. It was great seeing Pastor Willy preaching. He has a real anointing to work with children (see picture).
The Northwest Church team was really helpful as we began the process of saying good bye. It took some time for the people to process that we were leaving and it took some time for us to process our leaving as well. The temptation is to withdraw your heart so you don’t hurt so much. With the help of God and our friends, though, we tried our best to stay engaged and really said goodbye to the people and let them say goodbye to us. We spent many hours letting people talk and cry and we cried with them. We also prayed for them and let them pray for us.
The day before we actually left there was a combined farewell church service for us that lasted 6 hours. During the service, Victor preached on the Great Commission and then he prayed out two Bible School students. All the Pastors and congregations we had worked with from all of the 18 churches in the East New Britain Foursquare Province came to say goodbye. There were many “items” - the so-called presentation of items in the service - of good bye songs, songs about the Rapture, and traditional songs changed to reflect the transformation of Jesus in their lives yet done in traditional garb with homemade bamboo instruments and dancing. Arms and legs of dancers had special leaves on them and feathers. In PNG, you say goodbye privately but also publically as they are tribal people. So, we would be called up and each church presented gifts to us and they acknowledged the church plants that grew out of the medical and evangelism outreaches. Then they would hug us and wail and cry. We ran out of tears at the end. After the service, we shared in a pig that had been cooked and we all sat down to eat together. People came to the airport to see us off and called us by phone for even a few days after we left just to tell us that they loved us and would miss us. Very gut wrenching (see picture).
Since coming back to the U.S., the most natural and common question we hear now is “What are you going to do now?” We want to do what God has for us. He has told us that He has another assignment for us and so we are praying and listening. We are re-entering the American culture and we have been radically changed from our time in PNG. We have been privileged to learn and work with the Holy Spirit and we have witnessed God’s faithfulness and constant provision along the way despite hardships. Also, we know that none of this could have happened without all of you who prayed for us and supported us. Anything that we have done for Christ, we have done it together with all of you. THANK YOU for letting us be your hands extended. Thank you too for your continued support.
Here are our prayer requests:
- Please pray for the upcoming medical and evangelism outreach on November 29-30. It is the first outreach without us for the national team.
- Please pray for the remaining 2010 and the 2011 schedule of medical/evangelism outreaches. Kindly pray for unity, Godly wisdom, and signs and wonders to confirm the Gospel message especially.
- Please pray for continued discipleship and growth in the church in PNG island region and boldness to live the life of a disciple.
- Please pray for re-entry for Victor, Alex and I and our relationships here as we catch up with those we haven’t had much contact with in the last 3 1/2 years.
- Please for wisdom and revelation for us to know God more and hear and obey Him especially as we seek direction for our next step.
Blessings,
Victor and Lori and Alexander Obregon
Expect Great things from God
Attempt Great Things for God
William Carey


























